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This blog started out as a cooking website: Jo's Icelandic Recipes. It had long since gone off line and been replaced by this blog. You will find recipes, Icelandic foodstuffs, food culture and history here.
Please post questions under the appropriate recipe. If there is an Icelandic recipe you're looking for, you can either leave a comment or email me (see sidebar) with a request and I'll see what I can do.
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Brown Whey Cheese - Mysuostur

I got a request for this some weeks ago through the discussion forum, and now I have finally found a recipe.

Mysuostur is a soft brown cheese made from whey (mysa), which is a side product of cheese-making. It is boiled down until it thickens and caramelizes, just like dulce de leche, except it is not as sweet. Cheeses of this kind are made all over Scandinavia. Icelanders use the whey that is produced when skyr is made.

The soft, spreadable version is sold as Mysingur in Icelandic supermarkets. In Norway it is known as prim or myseprim.

Put the whey and salt into a wide-mouthed pan and cook, uncovered, until it has reduced by 2/3. Stir in the sugar, butter and cream. At full boil, stir constantly until the cheese thickens. Test by putting a little on a plate. If it begins to set, the cheese is ready. Remove from the heat and stir until cooled. Store in jars or a bowl.The colour should be golden brown. If it turns dark brown, it has burned and will probably not taste good.

Comments

Gudrun Victoria said…

Fantastic! I will try to make that, as soon as possible.Could you please tell me the different between mysa from skyr and mysa from normal cheese?I can get some mysa from normal cheese, and maybe want to drink it, as you do with the skyrmysa in Iceland, but I'll like to know the different first..

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